Thorns 3: My Heart Is In Knots
by CaptainJayfeather29
Summary: Lizardtuft, Hollyflame, Brambleblaze, Gorsepaw, Echopaw, Buckoflight, Smokecoat, and Hollowlight try to find a way back home. But when they arrive back in ScarClan, things have gone awry. Rileyclaw is dead, Thunderstar is missing, and an unthinkable act of betrayal shatters trust. A fire rages through the heart of every warrior as dark days draw nearer...
1. Chapter 1

**For the Marvel character Dark Tail is based on, my favorite villain, if you don't consider Loki a villain. If you do, then she would be second.**

 **Chapter 1**

"Wait for me!" Lizardtuft dashed after Brambleblaze, who was running through the trees with ease. She was impressed how he dodged every root, every fallen branch without even looking. Suddenly he stopped. "I'll" -she panted- "beat you one day!"

"In your dreams." He responded jokingly.

Lizardtuft shook her head. "My life _is_ a dream."

He smiled. "Let's go grab our prey and head back to camp."

She obeyed. Together they walked back, dug up their buried prey, and brought it back for the fresh-kill pile in their makeshift camp. They were a moon and a half away from twolegplace, and the warrior could tell the tom was uncomfortable back among warriors.

"Great catches!" Gorsepaw exclaimed when the two cats returned. "Where did you find _two_ rabbits?"

"This place if chock full of them." Brambleblaze muttered through fur. "We'll eat good tonight!"

"Thank you." Lizardtuft dipped her head to the apprentice. "You should try to catch one tomorrow."

"Really? That sounds great!"

"We should get moving if we're going to get home by leaf-bare." Buckoflight climbed on the rock that was often used for meetings. As the cats swarmed to the rock, he continued; "We'll set out first thing in the morning." Moans of protest met his words.

"We need to rest." Smokecoat yelled over the groans.

Hollyflame nodded in agreement. "We need energy for the rest of the journey."

Buckoflight flicked his tail. "We leave first thing in the morning." He repeated. "Now shoo, everyone."

As the unofficial meeting dispersed, Gorsepaw met Lizardtuft in the middle of camp. "Since we're leaving tomorrow, can we go rabbit hunting right now?"

Lizardtuft sighed. "Sorry, but if we have uneaten prey, we'll be attracting foxes."

"Oh, okay." Gorsepaw turned and joined Echopaw in their makeshift nest. Lizardtuft watched him go, taking a deep breath.

"You okay?" It was Hollyflame.

"Yeah." The warrior mumbled. "I'm going outside for a little." She climbed up the wall of the hollow, where there was a large rock overlooking the clearing. She walked on it, purring as the heat flowed through her paws. Finding a flat spot in the stone, she curled her legs under her belly and closed her eyes.

"Hello, Lizardtuft."

The light brown warrior awoke to complete blackness, as if she was stuck in a cloud of smoke and embers. After a few moments, she spotted Loststone a few tail-lengths off.

"Hey." Lizardtuft padded over to him. "Why do you need me?"

"I need to show you something." Loststone rose to his paws and limped into the cloud. "Pad cautiously."

Lizardtuft started after him. The smoke gradually cleared, until they were in a forest, under a red sky. A strange wind blew through the branches, rustling the leaves in an almost unnatural way. She shivered, and turned to the Stonemaster. But when she did, she stifled a gasp.

She wasn't looking at the starry, glossy-furred cat she met so many times in dreams. This tom had a silvery nose, with empty white eyes. As her gaze moved downward, she noticed the paws. They were completely hairless, scars covering every fly-length. The pink toes were completely clawless, crusted blood between them. Relief washed her when she saw his back paws were covered in white fur like they should be.

"The Dark Forest is a place that returns all the scars one had when he or she died." Loststone's voice cracked with age. He lifted a paw off the ground, then set it down again. "I forgot what this felt like."

"Loststone…" Lizardtuft breathed, "how did you die?"

"It's a long story."

"We have time."

"When I was still a warrior, I was hit on the Thunderpath and lost function of my paws." He sighed. "So I became a medicine cat. I mentored Sedgepaw, but he died in the Endless War, so I trained Moorheart -Moor Frost now- and she was medicine cat when I died overnight, in my nest."

"Okay, party's over." A black she-cat leaped between the two cats before Lizardtuft could reply. "Loststone, what are you doing here?" Her tone wasn't friendly.

"Excuse me, Dark Tail." Lizardtuft shivered as the blind cat bared his teeth. "You're in my way."

"Go home, or I'll take you to Stone… or if you'd like someone more personal, we've got Goldenwing and Darkclaws." She paused, seeing Loststone's squeezed shut eyes. "All the cats you killed, when you're supposed to be a medicine cat."

"Stop!" Lizardtuft yowled before Loststone lost his temper. "We should get back to StarClan."

"Go." Dark Tail showed her teeth. "Or I'll make you."


	2. Chapter 2

**For the Marvel Character Stormstar is based on, a true badass**

 **Chapter 2**

Hollyflame watched Lizardtuft bound out of the camp, and sighed to herself. _Why does she have to be so independent all the time?_ Lizardtuft never wanted to be around every other cat anymore. She existed in her own world.

"Hollyflame!" Buckoflight yelled, snapping the she-cat out of her thoughts. "Go fetch your sister, will you?"

 _Who died and made you leader?_ "Sure."

The golden warrior padded slowly up the side of the hollow. Lizardtuft was settled on a rock overlooking the clearing, curled up in a ball with her back to her sister. Hollyflame jumped in shock as the brown ball shifted.

"Lizardtuft?" Hollyflame reached to touch the she-cat, but her paw went right through the pelt. _Mousedung to that!_ "Wake up!"

Tiny whimpers came from the sleeping warrior.

"Lizardtuft!"

"What?" Her head rose, her eyes half-closed with sleep. "I was doing something!"

"Sorry." Hollyflame shuffled her paws. "Buckoflight wants your presence."

Lizardtuft let out a loud groan, standing up. "If he gets crushed by a tree, I'll be happy."

Hollyflame shivered with the intensity of her sister's words. The two ran back down into camp, meeting the ScarClan medicine cat in the middle. He gave the two an icy amber stare.

"Lizardtuft," he addressed the warrior, "do you think you can project your power?"

"No." Lizardtuft shook her head. "I asked Loststone already."

Buckoflight's eyes suddenly filled with sorrow. "I was a kit when he moved on to StarClan."

"Oh." It was Gorsepaw.

"Why do you want me to project my power?" Lizardtuft questioned.

"Because we found something." Gorsepaw explained. "It was stuck in a rotting tree trunk and we couldn't pry it out."

"Show me."

The patrol left the camp, following Buckoflight's lead. They went out the backside, where Hollyflame had never been before.

"There." Gorsepaw raised his paw and pointed to a fallen tree. A multicolored glow came from the crack in the log.

Hollyflame leaped over a stone and peered into the crevice.

" _No."_

It couldn't be.

A completely smooth stone was laying there, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple melting together.

"I thought it was destroyed!" Lizardtuft exclaimed, who had obviously seen the Stone as well. "In the Endless War!"

"Well, we can't just leave it here!" Buckoflight hissed. "We can ask questions once it's in safe paws."

"What's going on?" Hollyflame didn't even notice that Brambleblaze had arrived. "Is that what I think it is…"

"Yes." Lizardtuft mewed robotically. "What do we do with it?"

"We take it with us." Gorsepaw offered. "But… why? What is this?"

"Many seasons ago," Buckoflight began, "in the days of Reedstar, there were six special Stones. They all had been passed down from generations to generations since the beginning of time, back when they were one Stone. They were split to protect them.

"Nutstone, a Clan cat who had been feeding off the Stones to keep himself alive, decided that he wanted to turn the Stones into one Stone again. He hunted down each and every one of the Stonemasters to claim the power sources. And he succeeded." Buckoflight took a deep breath. "A great war broke out with the death of SunClan's deputy. Stormstar declared war on Nutstone and the Endless War began. Eventually all the Clans joined in, and the war ended when Scarredstar destroyed the Stone and Nutstone joined the Dark Forest."

Hollyflame couldn't help but stare at the swirl of colors in the Stone. "So what do we do with it?"


	3. Chapter 3

**For the real Cedarkit, another badass.**

 **It's about time I did another POV.**

 **Chapter 3**

The cat dashed across the thunderpath, fear in his step giving him an extra burst of speed. As he landed safely on the other side, he began to worry that he would lose the scent trail he was following.

It had been moons since the Clan cats had left his home, but the tom was eager to find them. They were unlike any other cats the tom had ever seen. There was a weird energy coming from the one they called Hollyflame.

Though his tiny paws couldn't take him very far, the white tom continued on. He didn't want any questions left unanswered.

"Who are you?"

The tom stopped dead, turning his gaze to where a she-cat stood, about the same age as him. She drilled holes in his head with an ice-blue stare and her glowing yellow pelt.

"I- I'm from twolegplace." He pinned his ears against his head.

She continued to stare. "You're quite far for a kittypet, especially since you're just a kit."

"I'm eight moons old!" The tom hissed. "And you must be as well."

The she-cat rolled her eyes. "I'm twelve moons. Just small."

"What's your name?" He asked.

"Sunbeam." The she-cat answered. "And you are?"

"Thorn."

"It's nice to meet you, Thorn." The she-cat came closer to him. "Where are you heading?"

"Wherever this scent trail leads." Thorn sniffed the air for Clan scent, but only Sunbeam's was there. She smelled like roses.

"Okay." She dipped her head. "Let's go."

Too startled that she was coming with him to move, Thorn stood, petrified. "I-"

"What are you waiting for?" Sunbeam was already a tree-length away. "Let's go!"

"But I lost the scent trail." Thorn's tail drooped. "Now all I smell are leaves and grass and-" _Squirrel!_ He ran towards Sunbeam.

Sunbeam must have read his mind. "No time for hunting, we need to go."

"How do you know where the Clan cats went?" The kit questioned. Sunbeam stopped, turned back to Thorn, and put her paw on his forehead.

Sunbeam's face started to swirl as Thorn was pushed into a different reality. Around him was a burning forest, cats running all around him. Looking to his sides, Thorn realized he was in a hollow. On one side lay a golden she-cat, her fur matted with blood. Thorn recognized her immediately. _Hollyflame!_

A red-brown tom circled her body, his lips drawn back to reveal sharp teeth. He swished his tail back and forth, his ears pinned to his head. Hollyflame put a paw out, -to Thorn's surprise- with her claws sheathed. "How…" she mumbled, "how could you do this?"

When the tom answered, his voice was all too familiar. "The Clans feed us lies!" He exclaimed. "Hollyflame, I want to know if you're RainClan's enemy, or ally."

"I would never call you an ally." Hollyflame hissed through gritted teeth. "You-" Her voice faded.

"No!"

Thorn turned, seeing a cave that was guarded by two cats. Inside, Lizardtuft panted the word heavily. She wrapped her body around a bundle of red fur that was identical to the red tom's.

"AAAAAAA!" A tiny golden kit pushed past the two cats guarding the cave and faced the brown-red tom. "Don't hurt her!"

The tom's ears became visible again as they popped up from the back of his head. "Cedarkit…"

"Get back here!" Lizardtuft's call came. Cedarkit stayed put.

"Stupid kit." The tom spat. He grabbed it by the scruff, and before Lizardtuft had time to react, the kit was bleeding everywhere.


	4. Chapter 4

**For the marvel character Scarredstar is based off of.**

 **Chapter 4**

"I know what we do with it." Buckoflight growled. "We throw it into the Burning Sea!"

"No!" Lizardtuft hissed. Sometimes she wondered how the medicine cat could be so mouse-brained. "MarshClan will find it for sure if we do that!"

"How about we bury it?" Gorsepaw suggested.

"Do you _know_ what this thing can do?" Hollyflame asked the apprentice, her claws digging into the dirt. "Half of all life was almost destroyed because of this!"

"Mistystone, Ruststone, and Rose never came back." Buckoflight added on. "More cats eventually died because of grief."

There was silence that seemed to stretch out for a moon after the medicine cat finished. Lizardtuft sheathed and unsheathed her claws, her mind swirling with questions. _What_ do _we do with it?_

Finally, Hollyflame broke the silence. "We bring it home with us. Then, we take it to Stormstar and see what he thinks."

"No, we can't do that." Buckoflight retorted. "Stormstar's older than any other cat living right now."

"And…?" Hollyflame questioned.

"He has the brain of an elder. We can't count on him to do our thinking for us." Buckoflight snapped.

"Stop." Lizardtuft thrust her way between the two quarreling cats. "I agree with Hollyflame. We take it to Stormstar."

"What's going on?" Hollowlight climbed the side of the hollow. When she noticed the Stone, a look of fear crossed her face.

"You said you needed me to be here because of my power?" Lizardtuft asked, looking away from Hollowlight and towards Buckoflight. "Why?"

The gray tom sighed. "I wanted to see if you could pull it out. But-"

Lizardtuft turned to the rotting tree, quickly making her paw ghost-like. She put it through the wood, grabbing the Stone with her eyes closed.

When they opened, everyone was gone. Lizardtuft retracted her paw, looking around for her missing Clanmates. _That's strange,_ she thought as she sniffed the ground, _they didn't even leave a scent._

Bringing her head back up, Lizardtuft was face-to-face with a red-furred tom. His blue eyes bore into her pelt.

"Hello." He said in a surprisingly soft voice.

"H-hi?" Lizardtuft took a step back. When she had a full view of the cat, she realized who he was. "Ruststone?"

"Greetings." The stonemaster dipped his head in respect. "You found the Stone, I see."

Lizardtuft was silent as Ruststone walked to the fallen branch. "Lightningstone!" He called. "Come see this!"

Another red tom leaped out of a bush, noticing the swirl of colors "Great StarClan!"

"What do we do with it?" Lizardtuft asked the two fire-pelted cats. "I need to know!"

"You do what you know is right." Lizardtuft spun around, relieved to see the familiar face of Loststone. Still, his words made no sense.

"What do you mean?" Soon, the hollow was filled with Stonemasters from generation upon generation. The warrior noticed Ripplestar, Moonstar, Owlstone, and even the faint outline of the legendary warrior Mottledstone. They all stood around her, stars glistening in their pelts. It remained that way for a few heartbeats, until a cream she-cat with blank white eyes made her way through a parted crowd.

 _Scarredstar._

The ScarClan leader stopped, lifted her head to Lizardtuft, and opened her mouth to speak.

"I, Scarredstone, Master Of The United Stone, want the very essence of the Stones to fill this air, flow through this ground, and shine like a ray of sun on this cat. You have chosen her to be a guardian of the Stone. May she find peace, strength, and compassion as she follows the path you have laid out for her. Lizardtuft, do you accept the destiny of a Stonemaster, until death do you part?"

Lizardtuft's mouth seemed to be permanently closed. She couldn't speak, and she couldn't answer the ancient leader's question. Scarredstone sat down, curling her tail over her paws.

The Stonemasters waited. Lightningstone, Raggedstone, and Mottledstone started whispering after a while, but were quickly hushed by Mistystone. Then, the silence continued for a few more heartbeats.

Lizardtuft was still frozen.

Mistystone let out a loud sigh and stood up. Walking towards the frozen she-cat, he stared at her with an olive-green gaze. "Speak."

Lizardtuft opened her mouth. "I have to leave."

Mistystone nodded. "Go into the mountains, back where the ancient Clans lived by the Lake. Take the Stone with you."

"That means-"

Mistystone cut her off. "The age of the Stonemasters has come back."

"What do you mean?" Lizardtuft took a step forward towards the Master Of Space. "That means I'll never get to be with Brambleblaze, doesn't it?"

"The Stone chose you." Mistystone ignored the question. "Now, do you accept the destiny of a Stonemaster, until death do you part?"

Lizardtuft took a deep breath through her nose. "Yes, I do."

Mistystone looked at the ground. "You must know something."

"What?"

"Do you know who the Three were?" Mistystone asked. Lizardtuft nodded, remembering the stories told about Lionblaze, Jayfeather, and Dovewing. " _There will be six, kin of your kin, with the power of the stars in their paws."_

Lizardtuft was about to protest that there were only three, not six, when she blinked back into reality.


	5. Chapter 5

**For the real Duckwing.**

 **Sorry this chapter is really short, I just had to leave it there.**

 **Chapter 5**

Hollyflame cast a sympathetic look at Brambleblaze, who had an unconscious Lizardtuft laying across his shoulders. She had tried to assure him that she would wake up, and that there wasn't farther to go before they crossed into Clan territory.

After days and days of traveling and Echopaw's complaints, Hollyflame took in the first scent of Clan cats. The strong scent of SunClan wafted up her nose, telling her that the border was near.

"We're home!" Buckoflight gave a sigh of relief. "Thank StarClan!"

The medicine cat raced past Hollyflame, Hollowlight hard on his heels. Smokecoat trotted up to the golden warrior. "I can't believe it." He sighed. "We're back here."

"Where are we?" Gorsepaw asked, dropping the piece of bark that still had the Stone nestled inside. "What are they so excited about?"

Hollyflame turned to the apprentice, a smile on her face. "Gorsepaw, welcome to the Clans."

# # #

Once everyone else had entered ScarClan camp, Hollyflame squeezed through the tunnel. Lizardtuft was rushed straight to the medicine den while Brambleblaze and his littermates waited patiently outside. Smirking at them, Hollyflame looked around camp.

There wasn't a cat in sight with the exception of her traveling companions. _Weird._ Her curiosity getting the best of her, Hollyflame walked over to highstone and made her way into Thunderstar's den.

A strong scent of blood made her gag. Frantically, she searched under the blood smell for the smell of cats or fresh-kill. After a few heartbeats, she picked up Duckwing's smell. Tracing it to Thunderstar's nest, she found the black warrior laying limp.

"Duckwing!" She shook him with a paw, but the tom didn't budge. "Wake up!"

"What's going on?" Smokecoat's shadow obscured the light from outside. "Duckwing?"

Hollyflame put her paw on the bleeding tom's stomach, feeling the gentle rise and fall of his flanks. Relief came like a wave. "He's okay." She told Smokecoat. "Where's Buckoflight?"

"Here." The medicine cat appeared as if on cue. "What do you need?"

"I need to know why Duckwing is here, like this." Hollyflame looked to the fallen cat. "What happened to him?"

"I know what happened." Brambleblaze pushed past Buckoflight, entering the den. "Hollyflame, you know how you have the power to give power to others?" When the she-cat nodded, he continued. "I have the power of super speed. I came back here one night, and saw what went down."

"You didn't tell us?" Buckoflight drew his teeth. "Mousebrain!"

"So who did this to him?" Hollyflame asked once again, even though she already knew the answer.

Brambleblaze's amber eyes locked with Hollyflame's blue. "I did."


	6. Chapter 6

**I'm just going to let you guys know that from here on out, this fanfic is going to start getting pretty dark. The next fanfic should lighten up, though.**

 **For the real Alderfern.**

 **Chapter 6**

Lizardtuft cringed as a branch snapped underneath her front left paw. Panic shot up her as she glanced towards Thunderstar's den. Luckily, no cat emerged.

Right after she had woken up, the she-cat knew she needed to go to the Ruins, where Stonemaster upon Stonemaster was given the path they needed to take. She had noticed how no cat occupied the hollow, only faint voices coming from the leader's den behind highstone. So she snuck out, keeping close to the camp wall where her brown fur would somewhat blend in to the dirt wall. On her way up the tunnel, she grabbed the Stone between her teeth and set out for MarshClan territory.

Now she was almost at the border with SunClan. She ran through the forest, crunching on the leaves that had fallen to make way for leaf-bare. When the border came into view, the warrior came to a stop, sniffing the air. A patrol had already come this way.

Lizardtuft put one paw over the border, taking a deep breath. This might be the last time she would set paw on ScarClan territory, if she'd chosen the path the Stone wanted her to follow.

No.

She wasn't ready to leave her home.

Retreating back to ScarClan territory, Lizardtuft collapsed on the grass. She couldn't leave. Not without saying goodbye to her Clanmates.

Rising to her paws, Lizardtuft heard a _crunch_ in a nearby bush. She snapped her head around, hoping to catch sight of the prey before it disappeared. But it was already gone.

Going in the direction of the sound, Lizardtuft squeezed between two bushes. On the other side was the Mirror Lake clearing. The lake was reflecting the sun so brightly that Lizardtuft had to squint to see. The hollow was completely empty. Or so she thought.

"Lizardtuft?"

The she-cat turned to the left, coming face to face with Almondnose. The tom's right eye was swollen shut, and a nasty cut covered his nose. _Who did this?_

As if reading her mind, Blizzardstripe came up behind Almondnose. "Brambleblaze." The elder rasped.

 _W- what?_ "No! He wouldn't do that." She tried to convince herself. But she knew Blizzardstripe was telling the truth. Breathing heavily, Lizardtuft watched as the rest of the Clan came out of surrounding caves and climbed down from nearby trees. They all has scratches and black eyes.

"Come back to the camp." Lizardtuft told them. "We can find out what to do."

Almondnose shook his head. "It's too dangerous. He won't know where we are if he tries to come back."

"He's there now." Lizardtuft heard a few muffled gasps from the cats around her. "We can defeat him; all of us." But she didn't want to hurt Brambleblaze. What had happened to her friend? What turned him into this monster that would do this?

"Okay." Blizzardstripe broke the silence that followed Lizardtuft's statement. "We'll fight."

"What happened to him?" Tawnyflight approached the three cats, her tail and ears down. "What happened on your trip?"

"I'll explain later." Lizardtuft told her mother. "But we have to move. _Now._ "

# # #

As the cats of ScarClan made their way through the woods, a hard rain began to fall. _How convenient._ Lizardtuft huffed, gritting her teeth. Anger had begun to bubble up inside her since Blizzardstripe told her about Brambleblaze. She had thought that maybe they would be mates one day, and maybe they would even have kits. But that was all gone now.

"So when we get into camp," Lizardtuft stopped, turning back to her Clan, "everyone wait outside the hollow. Surround it. I'll go in and bring him into the main clearing. Then, attack." At the nods of her Clanmates, the she-cat turned back around.

Then, reality hit her. She had left the Stone at Mirror Lake. _Mousedung!_

"Wait!" Strikeleap came up to his sister. "What about Thunderstar?"

The warrior stopped in her tracks. "He's not here?"

"He left in the middle of the night. After Rileyclaw died."

"Rileyclaw _died_?!" Lizardtuft couldn't believe her ears. Brambleblaze would kill his own deputy.

"He was in pain." Strikeleap dipped his head. "Hopefully he's living happily in StarClan."

But Lizardtuft barely heard her brother. She was staring straight ahead, at the figure standing on the edge of the hollow. A lightning strike lit up his face, which was full of rage.

"Lizardtuft." He spat.

"Brambleblaze." The she-cat bounded up to him, barreling into his chest. The tom dug his back claws into the dirt to keep himself from falling into the hollow. He took a swipe at Lizardtuft, but his paw went right through her. She made herself solid again, pushing the tom over the cliff and into the hollow. Maybe the fall would finish him.

"For ScarClan!" Came Strikeleap's cry from behind her. Suddenly, a stampede of warriors bounded down the rocky side of the hollow and into the Clan's camp. Lizardtuft stood at the top, staring down as the madness unfolded. Brambleblaze was swallowed up beneath a pile of writhing bodies. Lizardtuft sighed, leaping down with them.


	7. Chapter 7

**For Sunbeam.**

 **Chapter 7**

Thorn let out a huge yawn, curling closer to Sunbeam. The she-cat curled around him, trying to keep him warm while also absorbing his body heat. _We're so close,_ Thorn thought, _we're so close to them. I can feel it._

He could sense Hollyflame's energy flowing through the air, being carried on the wind. It was calming, soothing. Like dandelion seeds floating through the breeze to wherever the world might take them. Thorn took in a deep breath of the energy and let it out. She wasn't far away, which meant that the others weren't far away either.

He was itching to get moving, but it was the middle of the night and there was a large chance that he would fall into a ditch or something along those lines. He shifted next to Sunbeam, attempting to get comfortable. After what seemed like moons of trying, Thorn fell into a restless sleep.

Actually, he didn't know if he was awake or asleep. His conscience seemed to float between what was a dream and what was real, giving him a sense of peace. Thorn let himself float away, and away, and away….

He opened his eyes, finding himself standing in the middle of a rabbit trail. The sky was red and the trees were bare of their leaves. Thorn spun in a circle, trying to figure out where Sunbeam was.

A crack of lightning made the kit jump in fear. Confused, Thorn turned his curiosity from Sunbeam to where the heck the rain was. The sky was completely clear.

And then it wasn't.

Thorn caught a glimpse of the smoke just as it exited the canopy of trees. He was so focused on the sky that he didn't see the forest burn around him. Trees crumbled to the ground and flames danced through the air, while Thorn stood there, staring at the sky with no desire to see the destruction around him.

But then he found the strength to turn his head down. He was looking level with the ground now, horror on his face at what happened to this forest in so little time. Petrified, he watched the flames retreat from the trees and manifest as a cat. This cat was completely made out of flame, only the smell of smoke accompanying it, its eyes black pits. They blinked at Thorn with some sort of reassurement.

"Do not be afraid." The cat's voice was like a thousand cats meowing at once in unison. The voice was not of one, but of many. It advanced towards Thorn, who was too terrified to move.

"You see this," the cat turned to the side, motioning to the destroyed forest that was now only piles of ash and debris. After a heartbeat, he turned back, "yet you do nothing about it?"

Thorn managed to swallow, which was the most he could do as the world burned.

"Do you know who I am?" The cat asked. Thorn shook his head. "I am Six.

For the six Clans,

for the six cats,

for the six powers."

Thorn stood, dumbfounded. Six didn't move, only stared at the tom with expectant eyes, like it was waiting for him to speak.

"O-ok." Thorn rasped.

Six laughed a little. "You remember what Sunbeam showed you?" But it was more of a statement than a question.

"Yeah." Thorn blinked.

"It was a future that was possible at the time. Now, too much has changed for that to take place. RainClan will never exist because of what you did."

"What _did_ I do?" Thorn asked, bewildered.

"By simply scenting Hollyflame's energy, you changed the entire future of the Clans." Was that a hint of pride in Six's voice? "But in destroying RainClan, you broke the prophecy of the six. So we're here to fix it."

Thorn shook his head. "What do you mean? You brought me here, showed me a burning forest and now what? You're talking about the future of the Clans when I don't even know what they really are!" Thorn hissed. "What do you mean?"

Six just stared. After many heartbeats, it looked at the ground next to it. It waved its tail over the ground, two tiny fire-kits appearing. Thorn looked at them. Unlike Six, these two actually had eyes. One had eyes that were dark blue, stars reflected in them. The other had olive green eyes that were impossible to look away from.

"Give these two to Lizardtuft when you see her." Six instructed. "The fate of the Clans depend on it."

The two kits began to race around Thorn, making the tom dizzy. The tiny bodies began to blur and then disappeared as quickly as they came.

"Go."

Thorn woke up with a jump. Sunlight was beginning to break through the trees, and Sunbeam was already up. She was munching on a rabbit no too far away. Thorn sat there, frozen, watching her.

"Hey sleepy!" Sunbeam yelled over to Thorn. "You want some of this before it's gone?"

Thorn got up, walking over to Sunbeam. The she-cat pushed the rabbit remains over to him. Thorn bent down, tearing out a chunk of juicy flesh.

They needed to get to the Clans.

 _Now._


	8. Chapter 8

**For everyone who will be internally scarred after reading this chapter.**

 **I'm sorry.**

 **Chapter 8**

"Stop!"

The mass of cats trying to get their claws on Brambleblaze dispersed at Lizardtuft's words. When the last cat got up, Brambleblaze wasn't under the pile. He was gone.

Lizardtuft hissed under her breath. She knew Brambleblaze would have sped out of there before any of them could land a hit on him. If only her Clanmates list-

I hit to her side stopped Lizardtuft's thoughts. Brambleblaze stared at her, his face unreadable. After less than a heartbeat, he was speeding around again.

Lizardtuft got up, unsheathing her claws and making herself a ghost. She looked in every direction for the tom, but he was nowhere to be seen.

"Lizardtuft!" Hollyflame came running through the tunnel of camp. She stopped right next to her sister, who's ears shot up in fear. "I have an idea!"

But then Brambleblaze was there again, bringing his claws down Hollyflame's back. The warrior screeched in pain, falling to the ground. Lizardtuft bit down on where Brambleblaze last was, but her teeth just bit air. Cursing under her breath, Lizardtuft bent down over her sister. "You okay?"

"Yeah." Hollyflame slowly rose to her paws. "If he killed me, it would be the endgame for him."

Suddenly Lizardtuft knew what Hollyflame's idea was. "You can't just-"

"But we have to." Hollyflame looked Lizardtuft straight in the eyes. "It's the only way to catch him."

Lizardtuft could already feel the sadness. Her tail fell as well as her ears. "There must be another way!" She yowled, but she already knew there wasn't.

Hollyflame unsheathed her claws, holding them to her own throat. Before she could slash it, however, Brambleblaze came and knocked the warrior over the side of the hollow and into the camp. Hollyflame lay in an unmoving pile when she reached the bottom.

"What are you trying to do?" Lizardtuft asked Brambleblaze, who was finally not zipping around. "Why?"

"I was always a kittypet." Lizardtuft was stung at the warrior's words. "The Clans come into Twolegplace, acting like they own us. Now, I finally have the courage to do the same to you. To show you what it feels like…"

But Lizardtuft wasn't listening. She launched at Brambleblaze, pinning him to the ground. "I'll kill you!" She yelled. "I'll kill you right now!"

"Wait!"

Both cats turned to see two cats standing next to each other. One was cream and the other was brown and white. Lizardtuft spat at them, turning back to her fight.

The white-and-brown cat murmured something.

Lizardtuft hissed as an unknown pain seared through her veins. Brambleblaze was basically limp under her, so what was happening?

Seeing that she was hurt, Brambleblaze slipped from under the she-cat and began speeding around the forest again. Lizardtuft turned to the two unknown cats.

"Who are you?" She yelled through pain.

The cream cat's eyes grew wide. She was a she-cat, from her smell. "Thorn wanted to find you."

Lizardtuft turned to the other cat. "Petal's son?"

Thorn nodded.

"You've grown." It came out a lot sharper than Lizardtuft anticipated. "Now get out of here before Brambleblaze knocks you over the edge." Remembering Hollyflame, Lizardtuft winced.

"It told me to give them to you." Thorn meowed as Lizardtuft turned away to find her sister. "I'm sorry."

Ignoring the kit, Lizardtuft bounded into the hollow, where Hollyflame laid in a heap.

"Do it." She mewed.

Quickly and painlessly, Lizardtuft slit her sister's throat.


	9. Chapter 9

**I got nothing.**

 **Chapter 9**

The rest of the Clan was in the forest now, their claws out and their ears pinned back as they sniffed for any sign of Brambleblaze. Thorn did too, but the tom's scent was everywhere at once. He had been here, but Thorn didn't know when.

Suddenly, a shriek made everyone freeze. Thorn leaped in his pelt, looking around for the source of the yowl. It was coming from the hollow.

He ran to the edge of the crater, ScarClan following behind. In the hollow were two cats, both crumbled to the ground. Thorn lurched up the rabbit he ate with Sunbeam earlier when he saw who they were.

Hollyflame was laying in a pool of blood, while Lizardtuft sat only a worm-length away, yowling in pain and grief. Hollyflame didn't move.

"He killed Rileyclaw, now Hollyflame!" Some cat shouted. At those words, the rest of the Clan let out cries of agreement. Down in the hollow, Lizardtuft took no notice.

 _What happened to this Clan?_

A bolt of lightning broke the sky, silencing the rowdy Clan. Thorn looked to the left, fear making him frozen.

The tree was on fire.

The Clan must have noticed too, because one cat who had ginger fur and blue eyes started yelling at the rest of the crowded cats to run to Mirror Lake and soak moss in water. The rest of the cats started running to what Thorn presumed was the lake. The ginger cat stayed.

"And you are…?" He asked Thorn.

"Thorn. I come from twolegplace."

The warrior walked to Thorn's side. "I'm Strikeleap. I- I'm Lizardtuft and Hollyflame's brother." He stared at the ground.

Thorn didn't know what to say, so he just stared at the flames as they consumed the tree branch by branch. He thought of Six, and remembered how Lizardtuft had been in pain when the kits started swirling around her like they did to him. Because of him, Brambleblaze escaped Lizardtuft's grasp. Because of him Hollyflame died.

"I can't wait to dig my claws into that foxbrained traitor." Strikeleap hissed. "I can feel it right now-"

"Oh really?" The two cats turned around, spotting Brambleblaze. His fur had turned the color of flames in the firelight. "Then just do it. Right now. You and-"

He was silenced by a shadow of black fur. Yet another tom had joined them, barreling into Brambleblaze. The two cats went spiraling across the ground.

Then, Brambleblaze went silent.

The black tom stood up, blood staining his teeth. "That's for Hollyflame." He hissed menacingly.

Brambleblaze didn't respond. Thorn caught sight of blood on the brown-red tom's fur.

He was dead.

# # #

"Today we remember the life of Hollyflame." Strikeleap looked down upon his sister's body, which was laden with herbs and flowers. "She was always so bright and dedicated to her Clan. She will be remembered for generations to come."

Strikeleap stepped back, waiting for someone to take his place in paying their respects.

Thorn didn't know that warrior Clans had vigils like the twolegplace cats did. The Clan version was different, however.

Thorn's thoughts turned to the cats around him, who were all staring at Lizardtuft as if they expected her to say something. But the she-cat stayed silent.

Smokecoat -who Thorn learned that killed Brambleblaze- broke the silence. "She was the best cat I've ever met." He dipped his head. "I'll miss her until my last breath."

Complete silence followed the words. Gradually, the Clan cats went to their separate dens. The cats who stayed were Lizardtuft, Strikeleap, Smokecoat, Thorn, a ginger tom who looked a lot like Strikeleap, and a tortoiseshell she-cat.

"Thorn," Lizardtuft looked at the kit. "Can I talk to you?"

"Sure."

Lizardtuft led him to the tunnel, past where Sunbeam was asleep. They emerged in the forest, right in front of the burnt tree. "I'm leaving the Clans." She paused. "I want you to come with me."

Thorn stood, starstruck. "I-"

"We'll pass by twolegplace. You can go home." Lizardtuft's eyes went dark. "I'm going all the way to the Plains, where NightClan and LionClan live."

Thorn stared at the she-cat, who he had only known for a few moons. She stared back at him, cold certainty in her eyes.

"When do we leave?"

 **THE ENNNNNND**


End file.
